Jeremiah 9:15therefore thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~605 BC. Jeremiah stands before a defiant people who've ignored 40 years of warnings. The Babylonians are already at the gates...
The emotion here: heartbroken but unable to stop the inevitable
The original word
la'anah (לַעֲנָה) — wormwood, a bitter desert plant that poisons water sources
Why it matters
Wormwood was so bitter that even small amounts made water undrinkable for days
Read with care
What most readers miss in Jeremiah 9:15
This isn't random punishment — they chose bitter idols, so God gives them bitter consequences
Common misconceptionPeople think this is God being cruel, but it's actually God letting them experience what they've chosen — bitter idols lead to bitter lives.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Jeremiah 9:15
Bible Genome reading
Jeremiah 9:15 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Jeremiah 9:15 comes from the book of Jeremiah, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Yahweh. The dominant emotion in this verse is angry, with a comfort power of 10% and a tone that is prophetic. It belongs to the prophecy genre of biblical literature. Key themes include divine punishment, bitter consequences, covenant judgment. Notable phrases: feed them with wormwood; water of gall. This verse contains a promise of God. This verse contains prophecy.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same angry
“Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears. Let the weak say, 'I am strong.'”
— Joel 3:10
“You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!”
— Matthew 23:24
“Listen to this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountain of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who tell their husba…”
— Amos 4:1
“I hate, I despise your feasts, and I can't stand your solemn assemblies.”
— Amos 5:21
“Your eyes shall not pity; life shall go for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.”
— Deuteronomy 19:21
Your reflection
What does Jeremiah 9:15 mean to you, today?
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